


Would You Like Fries With That?

by thislifeinanutshell



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, fast food??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-07
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-05-12 04:54:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5653165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thislifeinanutshell/pseuds/thislifeinanutshell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhett is an unmotivated McDonald's employee while Link is a single dad. As they both live their lives, always on the lookout for something bigger and better, they somehow meet in the middle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> AU in which Rhett and Link have not met in first grade. This was inspired by my own part time job at the famous fast food chain. Rating may go up further into the story.

“Someone threw up in the ball pit again.”

Rhett McLaughlin hated his job with a slow burning passion, his hatred burning hotter than all the frying oil in the deep fryers combined.

How he had ended up at this place, smashed between shopping centers and industrial buildings he did not know. He had left his cherished home in North Carolina to move to Los Angeles, where everything was supposed to be bigger, faster, stronger, better.

Now there he was, engineering diploma in his pocket and a mop in his hand, on the lookout for the source of his most dominant annoyance. He could not see the puke but he could smell it. He fucking hated his job.

This had been the third time this week some little brat had decided to release their just eaten food the fastest way possible and thus the third time Rhett had nearly wrenched himself. He usually did have a calm stomach, but now he only had to think about half eaten fries mixed with the stench of soda and ketchup to make his belly ache in objection.

It took him about two hours to get every ball out of the pit and to clean up the mess, then he decided to close the space altogether for the time being. He did not care about the pouting faces of the children, in fact, he only cared about his lunch break. He had not been this excited about lunch since middle school, even though now he couldn't care less about the actual food involved.

Employees were allowed to eat a small amount of fast food during their break every workday, but Rhett had opted out of that option a long time ago. The smell was definitely the worst. A constant mixture of burger patties, mushy bread and pickles.  
Sure, he certainly had enjoyed eating a Big Mac every day, for the first week or so, but now he was on a steady diet consisting of Sprite and the cigarette smoke his coworkers seemed to be constantly evaporating. He'd lost all appetite.

 

It was late afternoon and business was relatively quiet. Most guests were eating alone, carefully trying to not stain their clothes with ketchup and only one or two kids were running around now that the ball pit was closed for visitors.

He was mentally preparing himself for Steve, the lousy shop manager, to come up to him and release him into his thirty minutes of freedom, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned around, mop still in hand. In front of him stood a small man with glasses and a weird haircut.

“Yes”, he mumbled and tried to make himself sound only half as annoyed as he actually was.

“Excuse me”, the smaller man said with a faint smile, “but the hand dryer in the men's toilet is broken.”

“Oh”, Rhett said. The guy continued to look at him, smile still glued to his face. Rhett was used to having to look down when talking to people. Growing up it had made him feel uncomfortable, but nowadays he appreciated the advantages. Looking down at the man currently standing in front of him made him feel edgy.

 “I mean, I'm going to repair it, thanks for noticing”, he added, just to have an end to the conversation. He could practically hear the benches in the break room whisper his name.

“Could you have a look at it now? I really want to wash my hands before I eat but I hate leaving them wet, you know?”, the man said, adjusting the pair of glasses on his nose.

“Eh, sure.”

 

Rhett followed him reluctantly, discarding the mop on the way.  
The men's washroom faintly smelled like piss and cheap air freshener, just like it usually did and the brown tiles on the floor and walls were adding their own unique charm.

Rhett stepped in front of the mechanical hand dryer. It was one of those models that acted just like a hair dryer but then again sounded like a rocket setting off into space. He moved his hands in front of the sensor, with semi-satisfactory results: nothing happened. He sighed quietly and went down on his knees to have a better look, albeit having absolutely no idea what he was supposed be doing.

He decided to stare at the machine for a few seconds, then moved his hands over the sensor one more time. As expected, nothing happened.   
Rhett sighed again, this time audibly.

“I mean, I do have an engineering degree, maybe that means I'm supposed to know how these things work, but I really don't. Sorry”, he said while pushing himself into a standing position.

“Same”, the man was smiling again, now looking vaguely excited. “Every time someone finds out I studied civil engineering in college they expect me to repair all their stuff, but I'm always clueless.”  
He was laughing now and small lines were forming around his eyes and lips. Rhett put on his fake work smile and shrugged his shoulders apologetically, not knowing what to say.

They stood around silently for a few moments and Rhett was trying really hard to ignore the fact he had to delay his break for an awkward staring contest next to some urinals.

“Right, I think I have to go back to work”, he concluded and started to walk away, but the costumer stepped in front of the door. Rhett was trapped.

“Just one question, please”, he smiled.

“Yeah?”

“What do you think about parties?”, he asked.

“Depends on how much booze is involved”, Rhett retorted without thinking.

His opponent giggled, face lighting up. It was an almost refreshing sound to Rhett's ears, it had something childishly innocent.

“No no, I was talking about the birthday party you can book here. Cake, Happy Meals, garlands. All that stuff. Not for me of course, my son is turning six next month.”

“Oh, right”, Rhett said and immediately felt stupid for his sarcastic remark. He sometimes forgot not everybody had the same dry humor he had accumulated over the past few years at this workplace.

 “You should talk with the manager about that.”

 “I thought you were the manager”, the man said, looking surprised.

Rhett couldn't help but laugh. He was in his thirties, he was actually older than the manager, but he was nowhere near the position. The only thing he was good for was working the McDrive and cleaning up ball pits. Sure, mentally he might have been miles ahead of his coworkers, but other than that he was nothing.  
“Not even close”, he said.

The man nodded solemnly.

“Then I'm going to give the manager a call tomorrow. Thanks for helping me with the dryer.”  
Rhett decided to leave the fact he had not actually accomplished anything unremarked and brought up his fake smile one more time.

“I'm Link, by the way”, the man extended his hand. He tried not to stare at it and took it, shaking it hesitantly.

“Rhett”

 “Good bye, Rhett. See you next month, maybe?”, Link asked.

“Probably”, Rhett murmured, thinking about his overflowing work schedule and the fact this stinky restaurant had become something like his primary home.  
Link grinned, adjusted his glasses one last time and finally stepped out of the bathroom.

Rhett continued to stand inside the room for several minutes, mentally marking Link down as the weirdest costumer he'd served this week. Only as an elderly man stepped into the washroom and gave Rhett that kind of look that asked _Why aren't you working for me right now?_ he snapped out of his trance and walked towards Steve's office.

It was only after his backside had connected with the hard benches in the break room that he was finally able to relax.

 


	2. Part 2

“Hey big guy, break's over. Birthday party starts in twenty minutes and we've got no balloons ready. Work on that, now!”

Rhett looked at Steve as he disappeared just as fast as he had entered. If his work itself was number one on the list of things he really, really hated, his manager was an extremely close second. 

Steve was somewhere in his twenties and had started working for the store a few months ago, though much rather spend his time by sitting in his small office and playing Candy Crush. He still hadn't gotten around to remembering any of his employees names and gave almost all of them ridiculous nicknames. It certainly had been no surprise he'd decided to make fun of Rhett's height.  
Rhett sighed heavily, like he did about every five seconds and quit his break ten minutes early. He walked into the small storage room and started blowing up pink, orange, green and blue balloons with a machine and connected them to yellow plastic sticks. It took him about five minutes to get enough ready to fill their designated holder in the lobby completely and still had enough time to check the ball pit one last time. 

A small seating area had been prepared for the children. A few garlands were curled on the table and some paper plates were placed in its corners. It all looked rather depressing.   
He had just moved behind the counter to reluctantly listen to the small talk his female coworkers engaged in as a small group of people entered the restaurant. 

Rhett recognized Link immediately, albeit having forgotten the he had wanted to book a birthday party. The smaller man was walking towards the counter, a few children following him excitedly. Link's hair was a bit shorter and he seemed to have forgotten to shave. He adjusted his glasses, a signature move Rhett noticed and cleared his throat. 

“Hey”, he smiled his warm smile. 

“Welcome”, the crew said in unison, fake grins plastered to their faces. 

It didn't take long for the group to get settled in, the children noticed the ball pit almost immediately and conquered it with loud shrieks of joy. Rhett really hoped no puking would be involved this time.  
Link still stood around the counter awkwardly and proceeded to take a neatly folded paper out of his breast pocket.

“I took the liberty of writing down everything the kids want to eat, I hope you don't mind.”

Rhett couldn't help but look at Link like he'd just discovered the Holy Grail. He took the paper out of his hand and looked down on the small but elegant handwriting, discovering Link had organized the food and drinks in a tidily constructed chart, his own order at the very bottom of the page. Hadn't they been in a restaurant and hadn't Link been a complete stranger Rhett would have been ready for a marriage proposal.

“Why would I mind? This is... awesome. Thanks, man”, he felt himself smiling the first genuine smile in weeks and mentally scratched Link's status as a weird costumer. It normally took hours for every child to place their order and more often then not they only screamed it in the general direction of the counter before disappearing in the ball pit never to be seen again. Link had truly thought of everything.

“It was nothing”, he said humbly but Rhett could see the satisfaction in his eyes.

Since there were no other costumers to be taken care of the whole crew worked on the order, arranged Happy Meals and filled cups with soda. Link stayed at the counter, now and then looking over to the children to make sure they were not killing themselves on the playground but still checking if everything went as planned. Steve was nowhere to be found and Rhett strongly suspected he was in the middle of an Angry Birds marathon.  
Once the whole order was finished Link insisted on bringing one of the trays to the reserved table while Rhett took the other two, carefully trying to not spill anything. He faintly remembered his first day at work. He had managed to somehow fall over his own feet and throw down three servings of large fries. As soon as the children spotted the food they stopped playing and went to their seats somewhat civilized. Link handed out Happy Meal after Happy Meal and proceeded to sit down at the end of the table.

“Thank you”, he smiled while looking up to Rhett.

“No problem”, Rhett replied. “Just come up to the counter if you need help with anything else.”

When Rhett reunited with his coworkers he was informed by an annoyed looking Steve that it was time for his lunch break. It was the first time in years he didn't feel like leaving the workplace, he'd much rather have stayed in the lobby and watched his costumers, a feeling he'd never experienced before. It was normal for him to hate every person who walked into the restaurant instantly, but there was something about Link that intrigued him. His neat and tidy nature was in a sense refreshing, appealing even. Rhett took a couple of cheeseburgers, went into the break room and sat down with a groan. Usually he'd rather not have eaten anything at all, but today he felt like he needed something to occupy his mind.

He returned half an hour later with a full stomach and a mild headache from the smoked up break room. His coworkers where still chatting away and he decided to take a stroll around the lobby, pretending like he was cleaning the tables. Link was outside by the slides, Rhett took a swift look behind his back and realized nobody would be looking for him anyway. It was a nice day outside, the sun was shining and no cloud was to be seen, then again not overly out of the ordinary the Californian climate.

Rhett stepped next to Link, spray bottle containing a palish pink disinfectant still in hand.

“Which one is your son?”, he blurted out. Link jerked in surprise, only now realizing someone was standing next to him and gave a small laugh.

“That one”, he said with pride in his voice as he pointed to a round faced kid who was currently trying to climb up the slides the wrong way. Rhett couldn't help but notice that he looked just like a smaller version of Link, even though his face was framed with blond instead of ebony.He'd always wondered what it must be like to have children, to name and raise them and to see that they looked just like you. To have a wife and a somewhat functioning family. Escaping North Carolina had not given him a wonderful girlfriend like he'd expected, he'd been single for years now and the only real human interaction he got was at his job. He'd failed to form any type of relationship or make any sort of commitment.

“What's his name?”, he found himself thinking out loud as he watched Link's son play with his friends. He felt mildly creepy but Link did not seem to mind.

“Lincoln”, he said simply and as he saw the bemused look on Rhett's face he rolled his eyes.

“It's a family thing, don't even ask how that started out. My actual name is Charles Lincoln Neal III. Can you believe that?”

Rhett looked at Link and tried to imagine him on family portrait hanging over a mantel piece, looking down sternly on anyone who dared to walk by. He couldn't. Link's features were a little too soft, his clothing style a little too bright. Rhett shook his head.

“Not really”, he said honestly, giving a weak smile.

“Same here”, Link grinned. “I thought it would be cool to give all my kids names that begin with an L. Don't know why my ex-wife never called me out on that.”

Rhett gulped. “Ex-wife?”

Link made a fleeting motion with his hand, his eyes trailing over the playing kids in front of them.

“She lives a few blocks away from my place, I get the kids every other week. It's better that way, the breakup was mutual.”

“It's never mutual”, Rhett said, voice sounding rough and bitter. He felt himself reminded of all the times a girl had tried to convince him a break-up would be for the better. Somehow they had all used the same excuses. _Not ready for commitment, it's not you, it's me._ Link only shrugged.

“Sometimes it is, believe me, but I'm probably holding you back from work. I'm going to gather the kids around and leave. Don't worry, I already cleaned up the tables and threw out the trash. Thanks for having us.”

“Right”, Rhett murmured and didn't really know what else to say. There were too many questions still on his mind, all of them way too personal for a conversation on a dirty McDonald's playground. He didn't want Link to leave, somehow, but he'd never admit it. He extended his hand and Link shook it eagerly, giving him his signature smile.

When Rhett ended his shift a few hours later he felt an empty feeling in his guts, something that wasn't quite like his usual apathy. He checked his fridge and made sure there was still enough beer to keep him company for the rest of the evening and sat down in front of some senseless reality show, feeling utterly useless.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was kinda short, I know. The story will pick up speed next time though, promise. ;)


	3. Part 3

A few weeks passed and Steve moved Rhett from the midday to the night shift. It meant a messed up sleep schedule and dark circles under his eyes, but he also had to interact with less brainless costumers. Business was mostly quiet, the weekends being an exception with a few drunken people stumbling in every now and then.

It was a calm weekday night. Rhett was working the counter and the Drive Thru at the same time but both the lobby and the driveway had been deserted for hours. The obnoxious pop music that was playing in the lobby had long ago become his personal mantra and his only companion was Amar, a mostly silent guy who spoke little English but knew how to work fast and precise.  
Rhett preferred working alone. The night shift manager was even less present than Steve and was off counting the beef patties in the freezer somewhere, Amar was whistling in the kitchen and he could focus on his own work without anybody annoying him by simply breathing the same air.

He had already scrubbed every floor, cleaned the coffee and shake machine and was working on a particularly resistant grease stain on a window as the headset covering his right ear emitted a beeping sound, announcing the arrival of a car in the Drive Thru.

“Welcome, how can I help you today”, he said with his unusually friendly working voice, his face staying completely neutral.

“Eh, hello. Could I get... eh... ten cheeseburgers and a large coffee? No milk or sugar, please”, a male voice said.

“Sure thing, anything else?”, Rhett tried to keep his voice friendly while he hacked the order into the computer, already feeling sorry for his coworker in the kitchen.

“Nope.”

“That will be $14,59 at the second window, please.”

Rhett pressed a button on the headset to end the call and looked at Amar.

“Sorry, man, I need ten cheeseburgers.”

Amar looked at him with big eyes, his usual expression whenever someone was talking to him and got to work immediately. Working the grill alone at night was cruel and even though Rhett was not exactly known for his patience, he'd never rush his coworkers and instead cursed the unthinking customers. He heard a car approaching and pressed a little button just underneath the Drive Thru window to open it.

“Hi”, he said simply, while looking at the dirt under his fingernails.

“Oh, hey”

Rhett looked up, recognizing the voice immediately, now that it was not distorted by the interphone.

“Link?”

It didn't take a degree in either psychology or medicine to notice that Link looked absolutely out of it. Rhett couldn't make out much in the bad lighting, but the other man's hair looked greasy and he had seemingly given up on shaving.

“Since when do you work the nigh shift?”, Link asked, voice containing surprise and a tiny hint of of embarrassment.

“Only started recently, how are you doing, man?”, Rhett answered, regretting his words as soon as they'd left his mouth.

Link laughed, a laugh very unlike his by now expected uplifting giggle.

“Well, it's in the middle of the night and I'm on a cheeseburger binge, how do you think I'm doing?”

Even though they two were separated by a wall and a car door the conversation felt painfully intimidate. Rhett didn't really know what to say and decided to go for a helpless shrug. Link made a dismissive motion with his left hand while his other went towards his pocket. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

“Crap”, he cursed, eyes darting from one point in the car to another.

“What?”

“Crap”, he repeated, this time a lot louder. “My wallet, I lost it...”

He loosened his seat belt, head disappearing somewhere between the seats as his hands started going through the glove compartment frantically. Papers and CD cases were thrown around, accompanied by the sound of rustling cans.

“Link”, Rhett called, but the other man was still too busy looking through his things aimlessly, now and then cursing under his breath.

“Link!”

Link's head shot up, panic in his eyes.

“You've probably just forgotten it at home. Calm down”, Rhett tried to reason.

“This is the third time this week, I don't know what's gotten into me... Gosh”, Link punched the steering wheel twice.

His eyes looked puffy and his hands were trembling like he was about to cry. By this point it was obvious he was not just upset about his wallet, that there was something else Rhett could not see, could not know about because he was just an unimportant McDonald's employee. Still, he somehow felt responsible for Link. He couldn't stand the thought of seeing the other man upset. The man who'd made the past few weeks at work a little bit more interesting.

“I've got cash in my locker in the changing room, I can help you out”, he suggested calmly even though he wasn't sure Link was listening to him. He seemed way to busy staring into space.

“You hear me? I got it covered, don't worry.”

Link finally realized he was being spoken to and shook his head immediately.

“I could never accept that”, he said, while giving the steering wheel another light punch.

There was a shout coming from the kitchen, probably announcing the arrival of the cheeseburgers, but Rhett didn't even bother to look over his shoulder.

“Look, next time you're on another binge, you just pay me back, alright?”, he tried to smile.

Link shook his head, lips pressed together. “I'm just so incredibly stupid.”

Rhett simply turned around, hoping that Link wouldn't flee and started packing the order. As he returned the car was still in place and Link sat in his seat, an unreadable expression on his face. Rhett handed him the coffee and the large bag containing all ten cheeseburgers.

“I can't thank you enough”, Link said.

“Don't mention it, just pay me back next time.”

While Rhett did not mind helping out, he still remembered his landlord and his rent that was way overdue.

Link nodded and sighed. “I don't know what's gotten into me. I... I don't know, I don't want to bother you with it. I guess the wallet was just the last straw.”

Rhett couldn't help wanting to urge the other man to tell him the whole story, but he knew that it wasn't the right time, probably never would be.

“Don't mention it, really. I'll see you around”, he said.

“Alright”, Link whispered and for the first time this evening there was something close to a smile on his face. He waved, hit the gas pedal and was gone.

Rhett sighed. There was something about this man, something he couldn't quite pinpoint, but definitely a something he wanted to explore further.

 

The rest of the night was almost unbearably quiet as he tried to occupy his mind with anything but the lingering image of shaggy dark hair and blue eyes. As the sun slowly started to rise every square inch of the restaurant was as clean as the operation tables in a hospital and his limps were hurting. Rhett walked into the changing room a few hours later, tired but at least too tired to think of anything but sleep. He changed as quickly as his aching muscles allowed and staggered towards his car.

Just as he was about to start the engine, his weary eyes spotted a piece of paper stuck against his windshield. Cursing any rampaging teenagers, he got out of the car to remove it. It was a cheeseburger wrapper. He stopped, examining it more closely. Someone had written a message on it. Small, elegant hand writing. A phone number underneath it.

_I really want to pay you back._

Rhett smiled.

 


	4. Part 4

It was a cold night. A little bit too cold for Los Angeles and Rhett's muscles were beginning to shake underneath his thin button down shirt. Had it been a good decision to wear the one with cacti on it? Was that a bit too much? Anyway, there was no going back now.

He checked the address he had scribbled onto a small piece of paper for what felt like the millionth time, looked at his surroundings and decided that he had gotten off at the right bus stop. A busy street full of bustling restaurants and cafes, speckled with a few shady night clubs he would never dream of setting a foot in.

Link was late. Or Rhett was simply being stood up but at that moment, with Link only being late fifteen minutes, he was forcing himself to remain calm. He had been too much of a coward to call Link, didn't know what to say. _Hey, you brighten my day every time I see you, wanna go for a drink?_ It had just seemed a little too personal, so he had opted for a simple text massage. They had sent a few messages back and forth, mostly contemplating the quality of Amar's cheeseburgers. After a while, Link had told him to meet him at this address, not mentioning which establishment they'd seek out.

Rhett felt stupid, but most of all he was unsure why he was there, wearing this ridiculous shirt and his expensive cologne and feeling way too queasy, like a teenage girl getting ready for prom. Was this supposed to be a date or just a simple meet-up between friends? If it was the latter, why did his heart jump in his chest like he'd just finished his fifth cup of coffee? His last date seemed ages ago but most importantly, he had never been on a date with another guy. It just wasn't his thing, he had never been interested. Then again he supposed Link was a little different than the rest.

“Ugh, I'm incredibly late, aren't I?”

Rhett turned towards the source of the voice and was confronted with Link. His face looked puffy as if he'd just ran the last few blocks, which he probably had and his hair was messy. Other than that he looked great, wearing a simple white shirt and a black jacket, not at all like the confused cheeseburger binging Link.

“Oh that's fine, I was kinda late myself”, Rhett lied, smiling as he took the whole image of Link in. “How are you?”

“Fine, fine. Had to find a last minute babysitter and calm my ex-wife who was, justifiably so, mad at me for not remembering to hire one sooner.”

Rhett didn't know what to say, the ability to engage in small talk long gone after years of not having any real friends. He retorted to making a small oh sound while shrugging his shoulders.

“Let's go grab something to eat then”, Link smiled, turned on his heals and started to lead Rhett through heaps of people, nearly impossible to be kept up with.

They walked in somewhat comfortable silence for several minutes, navigating the busy streets with Rhett trying to not run into anybody, until Link stopped.

“I thought this would be a good start”, he announced, motioning towards what looked like a small Italian place, maybe a little too kitschy for Rhett's personal taste, but good enough to calm his rumbling stomach.

“Sure”, he nodded and opened the door for Link to step through. The smaller man winked at him as he walked past and for a moment Rhett was too starstruck to follow, nearly losing Link as he walked over to a waiter.

Link had reserved a table next to a window, giving them the perfect view to spy on the ongoing hustle of pedestrians. It was only as a waiter walked over their table and swiftly lit a candle, that Rhett regained some of his initial nervousness. The other man looked a little too beautiful in the shimmering light of the candle, Rhett's hands were a little too sweaty and his head clouded with too many thoughts at once.

“A little wine maybe?”, Link suggested with a small smile and Rhett nodded, liking the thought of alcohol flowing through his veins.

He had no idea what to order, the names of the dishes sounding fancy, but most of all really expensive.

“I think I'll stick to spaghetti and meatballs”, he said sheepishly, looking at Link who had also stopped studying his menu.

“Always a good choice”

Link ordered the wine and food with a sort of expertise that made Rhett question how often he had come here before, had sat down at this exact table. He decided to not dwell on it too much and focused on Link's face. His jawline, the stubble and his blue eyes.

“How's work?”, Link asked, starring over the brim of his wine glass while taking a small sip.

Rhett shrugged. “Same old, same old. I bet your job is way more interesting.”

Link laughed and shook his head. “Less ketchup? Probably. More fun? Doubt it.”

“Who do you work for anyway?”

“IBM, they do IT services and stuff.”

“Yeah, I've heard of them. Actually applied for a job but they wouldn't even interview me”, Rhett didn't try to sound bitter but he wasn't sure he was succeeding. He really didn't want to come off as just a grouch pissing away his days at a fast food chain, which might have been the truth but wasn't exactly incredibly attractive.

“I probably only got the job because I worked with them back home in North Carolina”, Link said before taking another sip from his glass.

Rhett could feel his face lighting up.

“You gotta be kidding me. You're from North Carolina?”

“Born and raised”, Link smiled, as if reliving memories while talking. “You too?”

“Well, born in Georgia, raised in North Carolina. That's crazy, you hardly have an accent anymore!”

They talked about North Carolina like they had been neighbors at the time. Marveled about its landscapes and agreed that they would always view the South as their true home.

“I guess my ex-wife and I thought moving here would be good for our careers, we were right in that aspect. Not exactly good for our marriage though”, Link laughed and his whole face lit up while doing so. It was rather distracting.

“Why did you two break up anyway?”

The question was out before Rhett could really think about it, he wanted to apologize immediately for being so inconsiderate, but Link didn't seem to be bothered.

“Well, we've always had our problems, but I guess we agreed that me being gay wasn't exactly helpful for a fulfilling straight relationship”, Link said almost a bit too dryly.

Rhett knew he stared but he couldn't help it. It wasn't exactly a shock to hear it out in the open, but there were so many questions left unanswered.

“You look surprised”, Link said, tilting his head to the right.

“I mean... No... It's just... ah”, Rhett stammered, he really didn't know what it was.

The thought of being gay had never crossed Rhett's mind at all. Sure, when someone in his life had come out, which had never happened very often to begin with, he had briefly thought about being with another man but had always dismissed it. It just wasn't for him, but then again Link did look really good in the shimmering candlelight.

“I wouldn't mind being your friend, Rhett. But I thought this would be more than just two dudes grabbing dinner.”

Rhett nodded, throat suddenly feeling very dry. The wine prickled in his throat as he took a few gulps before answering.

“I'm not... I mean, I've never.. y'know?”

Link giggled and Rhett couldn't help but join him. The conversation felt simply ridiculous.

“I get it, it's fine.”

Rhett could almost feel himself blushing and thanked God for the dim lighting.

“Can I ask another question?”, he asked, trying to embrace his embarrassment. Link nodded.

“When you met me during my night shift. Why were you... ah...”

“Such a mess?”, Link added.

“Well, if you wanna put it like that...”

Rhett's nervous rambling got interrupted by the waiter, who presented them with their food. It all looked delicious and on any other day Rhett would have devoured everything in mere minutes. This definitely wasn't a normal day and he was being a stuttering mess. He wondered how the other man could remain so calm or if he was simply faking it. If so, his acting was remarkable. 

“Where were we?”, Link asked, fork combing through the risotto on his plate. 

“The night in question”, Rhett answered and decided to pick up his cutlery, at least pretending to be somewhat interested in his food.

“Right”, Link nodded. “So, I was at this club.”

Rhett knew he was staring again, having a hard time imagining the other man at a club, especially _that_ kind of club. Sweaty bodies on a dance floor, too much alcohol and ear blasting music.

“Don't look at me like that, it's the only half decent way to actually meet people here. Unless you want to go online and get sent pictures of some dudes genitals every five minutes. Anyways, I was at this club, horrible place actually but what can you do. I was, well, dancing with this other guy...”

Rhett was really trying to focus on his spaghetti, trying to curl them around his fork, but failing miserably. He needed more wine. Wine was good. A way to not think of Link dancing. He seemed like a guy who would move his hips a lot, just because he didn't have any other moves. Oh, right, Link was telling a story.

“He pulls me away and we, well you know how it goes.”

Rhett didn't know but nodded anyway.

“I wanted to at least ask his name and he tells me it's Zack and he sounds really young and so I want to know how old this guy actually is and he says... oh gosh I can't even say it. You want to know what he said?”

Rhett was sort of mesmerized by Link's eyes at this point, the way he leaned over as if he was letting Rhett in on a terrible secret. He nodded.

“Don't worry about it, _daddy_. That's what he said.”

The wine that Rhett was somehow still consuming nearly flew out of his mouth. He gulped, head flying back, breaking out into hysterical laughter. The people at the table next to them started staring and he was well aware but he couldn't stop. Link looked more than slightly embarrassed, but there was a tiny hint of a smile on his lips and so Rhett laughed some more, until his stomach was aching and he felt like suffocating.

“It's not funny”, Link said, trying to look stern while his mouth moved into a grin.

“It totally is, dude”, Rhett retorted, still giggling, slapping the table one final time before calming down completely.

“Well, alright. Maybe. Anyway, that's when I realized that I'm in my thirties, trying to look like I'm in my twenties and not succeeding and spending my weekends in terrible places without any real goals. I drove home and locked myself in my apartment, didn't really go outside for a week. Until I was hungry and needed some food. That's when I saw you again.”

“You did”, Rhett said and smiled.

They spend the rest of the evening talking about everything and nothing at all. The weather, their favorite music, sports, North Carolina, anything that came to mind. Rhett liked spending time with Link, which was unusual given the fact most humans he met were an annoyance and nothing else.

They ate tiramisu, ordered some more whine and as they left the restaurant the cloudy night sky was reflecting the city lights.

“What do you wanna do now?”, Link asked.

“I think I need to go to bed”, Rhett said, looking at his watch, vision blurry. He could suddenly feel the whine buzzing through his body and while he could have spend the rest of his life with Link in that moment, he had a morning shift the next day.

“Oh, alright. Do you remember where you need to go?”

Rhett tried to think but his mind felt absolutely empty, save for the image of the man next to him, so Link smiled, put a hand on his back and guided him through the crowd towards his bus stop. There were only a few people waiting, all looking like they could use a few hours of good sleep, just like Rhett, who felt like the world was spinning a little faster than normally.

“I had a really good time tonight”, he said.

“Me too”, Link said, smiling and knowing that he had been responsible for putting that smile there, Rhett almost felt proud.

“Will you see me again?”

“Why wouldn't I?”

Rhett shrugged because he could think of a thousand reasons why someone wouldn't want to see him but he was still feeling great so he decided to not think about it.

“I guess that's your bus”, Link said, pointing into the distance.

“Crap”, Rhett whispered. Leaving somehow felt like an end, something he felt not ready to go through with. He could have stood at this bus stop forever, ignoring the various smells of alcohol and gasoline and just look at Link's face. The way his hair curled at the end, looking like wings and he knew it sounded cheesy, but it was the truth.

The kiss wasn't like he had expected, then again he hadn't really expected anything. He briefly wondered about the people around them, what they would think, but Link's lips were soft and his stubble rough. It felt glorious, too good to be true. He wondered what it would be like to press pause right then. His arms wrapped around another man's shoulders, the smell of aftershave and red wine in his nose. It was funny how they fit together so nicely, but just as he felt he would faint from all the endorphins rushing through his body, Link pulled away softly. 

“The bus is here”, he murmured against Rhett's cheek.

“Stupid bus.”

Link laughed and to hear that sound so close to his ear might have been Rhett's favorite moment of the evening.

“I'll call you”, Link said as Rhett slowly released him from his hug. Rhett smiled, not really sure what else to say, looked at those beautiful eyes one last time and turned around.

He nearly stumbled into the bus, not really sure whether to thank the alcohol or the ongoing nervousness from the kiss. The driver gave him a weird look as he payed his fair with the biggest grin a human could possibly produce. Rhett couldn't care less. He sat down at the window, nearly pressing his face against the glass on the lookout for Link, but the other man had already disappeared in the crowd.


	5. Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? An update? No way!  
> Honestly though, life has been busy the last couple of weeks, I'll try to update faster in the future.

The call came earlier than expected. Rhett was sitting in the break room chatting with his coworker Miranda, or rather being chatted at.  
Miranda really liked to talk. During his break, that he would have preferably spend in silence, Rhett had heard everything about her new apartment, new husband, their honeymoon, the state of Las Vegas' hotel rooms and how the two had managed to lose a few hundred dollars in fifteen minutes. It wasn't overly exciting. When his phone rang, Rhett was glad to escape the conversation, especially after seeing which number was calling.

“So, have you heard about this stupid rule that says you have to wait three days after the first date to call someone again?”, Link asked, seemingly not too found of proper greeting etiquette.

“Ehm, no?”, Rhett said, not really sure how to react. He could practically feel Miranda's stare burning into his right temple.

“Great, so let's get to the point. I'd like to see you again. Preferably today. Are you free this afternoon?”

It was weird, Rhett would have found such a behavior strange with any other person, but with Link it seemed kind of endearing. Like he was in high school and he had just left Link at his locker to leave for third period and they had promised to see each other again during lunch and somehow even that felt like an eternity. So he tried to be honest.

“Sure, I'd love to.”

“Good, I thought we could go to this... oh wait, that's my boss. Gotta run, I'll text you the location!”

Then his voice was gone. Rhett had no idea whether he should be more concerned about the strange phone call or the fact that the other man was actually calling while he was supposed to be working.

A few feet away Miranda cleared her throat. She shoved a few fries, her breakfast, into her mouth and looked her coworker up and down, expression unreadable.

“Who's the lucky lady?”

For a short moment Rhett pondered upon the question whether Link would consider himself lucky to have met him or if Rhett should be the one feeling grateful. Then he remembered Miranda, who was still chewing on her fries and looking at him getting all flustered.

“Do I know her?”

Rhett let out a long breath, puffing up his cheeks. This was definitely way too awkward. What would he have given to return to her endless family gossip.

“Nope, you don't”, he mumbled, taking a sip from his Sprite and letting his eyes gaze over the gray walls of the break room as slowly as possible. He looked at the posters featuring happy McDonald's workers, a sight Rhett had never seen, and were advertising prices for the most motivated team, an award the people at this place would most likely never get. 

“What's her name?”, Miranda asked while Rhett was examining the picture of a thin girl with blond hair and perfectly white teeth, admiring her ability to stay sane in such a working environment.

There were two options. Rhett could lie and talk about a very special girl called Linda, or he could simply tell the truth. He rarely lied, preferring to either be brutally honest or say nothing at all. He could manage to lie to Miranda easily, but then again he also didn't really care about her opinion of him.

“His name is Link”, he said, taking another sip from his cup, but this time unable to not look at Miranda's face for a reaction.

First there was a smirk, the search for a joke, then wide eyes and confusion.

“You are being serious?”, she asked, eyes still full of something that resembled terror. Rhett shrugged.

“Oh, wow, I did not expect that”, Miranda said.

“Neither did I”, Rhett replied.

She laughed after that, genuinely, and Rhett was glad. While he hardly cared for his coworkers companionship, he really didn't feel like being the inspiration for any spiteful gossip. Miranda studied him carefully before speaking again.

“So, a man, huh?”

“Yup.”

She nodded, stroking her chin between her thumb and index finger as if looking at a modern piece of art, unsure what to do with it. It took her a few seconds to find her words again.

“So, I figure you're the man in the relationship?”, she asked.

“I don't think that's how it works”, Rhett sighed, even though so far he, too, wasn't exactly sure how his relationship with Link worked.

“Right.”

“The point is that we're both men.”

“Right”, Miranda said, albeit looking like she had no idea what her coworker was trying to say.

“I'm not judging though”, she added after a while and that was all Rhett had hoped for in the first place.

He threw a quick glance at his watch and decided he would rather leave the break room five minutes early than stay and be confronted by more awkward questions. He got up and quickly collected his belongings.

“I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell the whole crew.”

Miranda wasn't exactly known for her lack of talking.

“Sure thing, if you'll stay quiet on me going to Vegas while calling in sick at work”, Miranda retorted.

“Deal.”

 

***

 

Rhett decided that the giddy feeling in his stomach was rather annoying, especially if one was trying to stay calm and relaxed and look totally cool.

Just like last time, Link had messaged him the address of an unknown location and just like last time he got off at a random bus stop feeling utterly terrified. It was late afternoon and the weight of a morning shift was still pressing down on his muscles, but the thought of the upcoming reunion with Link was enough to keep him awake.

Rhett first spotted the mop of dark hair. He looked at Link sitting on a bench, unruly hair on his head, wearing a simple blue T-Shirt and skinny jeans. He probably could have stared for a few more centuries, but forced his legs to move in front of the bench.

Link looked startled for a moment, squinting up into the sunlight, but then his lips curled up and Rhett realized that he had missed that smile for the last couple of hours.

If he had been unsure how to greet Link without seeing either too clingy or too distant, the other man made that decision for him. He pushed himself off the bench, stood on his tiptoes and gave Rhett a quick kiss on the cheek. Immediately missing the warm feeling and stubble, Rhett reminded himself that they were in the middle of a busy street and unlike last time, most people around them were sober.

“It's good to see you”, he said, looking down and supposed Link's smile must mean the same.

The went into a small café, ordered cappuccinos and strawberry cupcakes and sat down in two armchairs facing each other.

“You look tired”, Link commented, taking a sip from his cup.

“That's because I am.”

“I should be glad you showed up then.”

“You should”, Rhett said, raising an eyebrow but smiling.

The cupcakes were delicious and the caffeine gave Rhett the much needed energy to function properly. He chose the time to complain about work, albeit leaving out the awkward conversation with his coworker and Link looked like he actually cared. Always looking at him while listening and every so often nodding in agreement. It was an unknown, yet pleasant feeling.

They decided to make use of the sunny weather and checked out the small park next to the café. The sun was almost shining too brightly for October, but both men did not seem to mind. They walked in silence and Rhett ignored the prickling in his fingers, urging him to take Link's hand. There weren't many people around, but still a few too many for his liking.

“I should get a dog”, Link said nonchalantly as a small dachshund sprinted past them at full speed.

“Wouldn't wanna be that guy though”, Rhett laughed, motioning over to the apparent owner of the dog, who had a leash in his hand and murmured curses under his shaky breath. The dachshund didn't care, barked happily and ran off into the distance.

Link giggled. “I'd imagine your legs would be better for chasing though.”

“Ha, you're expecting me to run after _your_ dog?”, Rhett joked but secretly enjoyed the thought of owning a dog with Link, then remembering that he only knew the other man for a couple of days.

Link disrupted his thoughts. “Let's go this way”, he said, grabbed Rhett by the wrist and led him to a smaller path leading away from the main road.

They walked around for a few more minutes until they found a nice bench in the sunshine. Link said down and stretched his limbs with a sigh, then patted the space to his left. Rhett gladly obeyed and sat down next to him, trying to not focus on the burst of adrenaline as their thighs touched.

“Not a lot of people around”, Link commented.

“Yup”, Rhett said, noticing that the few people he was able to spot were way in the distance. He turned his face towards the sun, closing his eyes for a second, enjoying the warm sunlight on his skin.

“I mean, it's totally quiet”, Link continued.

“Yeah, nice place.”

The other man sighed next to him and he opened his eyes. “What?”

“You're awful at taking hints”, Link answered.

Rhett didn't notice the hand on his back at first, but then it was guiding him towards Link's face so that was a good thing.

His lips were even softer than Rhett remembered, making him wonder if Link was wearing chapstick. He decided to not care, wrap his arms around Link and just enjoy the moment. 

The kiss was innocent at first, after all their last kiss had also been their first and Rhett didn't want to appear too eager and not let it show that had had been single for years. Link tasted like coffee and strawberry marmalade and his breathing got heavier as the minutes passed. Rhett let his hands wander over Link's sides and it was different to not feel curves but it definitely wasn't worse. There was the already discovered stubble and defined muscles and he could feel surprisingly sharp hip bones as Link leaned onto him for comfort.

It was only as Rhett felt Link's tongue on his neck that things got a little heated. He opened his eyes and found out that somehow the other man had managed to climb into his lap and his own hands were almost clawed into Link's hair. His jeans suddenly felt too tight.

Link let go of his neck and looked at him, his eyes darker than usual.

“What's wrong?”, he asked, running his left hand through Rhett's hair.

“Nothing... it's just that... well, the park doesn't seem like the most secluded place right now”, Rhett said.

“Do you want to take this somewhere else?”

Rhett wasn't sure at first. He had definitely enjoyed himself so far, but this was all new to him. Then again he knew this wasn't a bad idea, this was Link after all. Link who looked incredibly hot with his hair even more tussled than usual, who was all heavy breathing and dilated pupils.

“I'd love to”, he finally said, kissing Link one last time before pulling him off the bench.

 

 


	6. Part 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've stuck around long enough to actually see this chapter, then I can only congratulate you. Lots of stuff happened, but I finally managed to come back to this story to finish it. Thanks to everyone who commented, left kudos or simply read the story. I really appreciate it. :) Anyway, enough talking, hope you guys enjoy the last chapter!

It took them well over thirty minutes to find Link's car and drive to his apartment, which was located in a less busier but more expensive part of the city. By the time they got there Rhett had calmed down a little, but his initial nervousness was persistent as always.  
Unsurprisingly, Link's apartment was tidy and looked like it had been built straight out of an IKEA catalog. The only room that looked like someone was actually living at the place was the kitchen, where Rhett sat down at a table while Link prepared coffee.  
He decided to look a bit around, spotted drawings by Link's children and a few dozen cereal boxes that were spread all over the room. Some were scattered over the counters, cereal pouring out of them, while others were put into neat stacks next to the trash can.

Rhett started feeling anxious as soon as Link had sat down next to him, pushing a coffee mug in his direction. He took the mug and while its content was still way too hot, he decided to start drinking, just to occupy his hands with anything different than shaking. Link looked at him, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“There's no need to freak out”, he mumbled, putting a soothing hand on Rhett's shoulder.

“I'm not freaking out”, Rhett insisted before taking another sip of scalding coffee.

“What I'm saying is, we don't have to do anything you don't want. We could just watch a movie, order a pizza. Whatever you prefer.”

Rhett wasn't really sure what he preferred. He liked Link, a little too much perhaps but he had no idea how to pursue this. Usually, he had been the driving force in a relationship, this was totally different. Good, but different. Most of all it was fast and he had no idea how someone he barely knew was able to awake so many different emotions in him. If this had been the plot of a movie, he would have deemed it unrealistic.

“I don't know”, he said, shrugging his shoulders sheepishly.

“Then we'll just sit here and drink coffee”, Link decided.

So they stayed in the kitchen, being perfectly content with only talking. Rhett was glad and even though he could still feel tension arising whenever they got close to touching, he simply enjoyed the others men's company.

Once they had finished their coffee, they went straight onto wine and Rhett didn't complain, remembering the nice buzz it had given him last time. He still couldn't understand how the two of them were able to talk like they had known each other for years. In some parallel universe, he believed they had been lifelong companions all along.   
After a few hours, Link grabbed the bottle of wine to pour them another glass, only to find it already emptied. They both looked outside, a dark sky starring back at them, the window reflecting their faces in the dim light of the kitchen.

“Time flies”, Link murmured, words slurred. Rhett felt tipsy as well and the wine seemed to have glued an everlasting smile to his face.

“You wanna go watch a movie? I started watching this weird documentary on Netflix, I think you'll like it”, Link continued.

He got up from his chair, staggering only a little bit. Rhett found it terribly endearing somehow. He nodded while standing up and started helping Link, who was cleaning up the glasses and mugs.

Rhett suddenly found it incredibly difficult to not notice Link's tight jeans as he bent over to close the dishwasher. Once he stood up straight, both men looked at each other. A thin layer of wine had stayed on Link's lips, making them even better to look at. His eyes were dark and his hair tousled. Why was it always tousled?

Rhett leaned forward, meeting Link sloppily. Their mouths moved slowly, savoring every moment, until Link's hands somehow found the first button of Rhett's shirt. It took him way too long to open it, his fingers numb from the alcohol and Rhett unwilling to cooperate. He was too busy exploring Link's lips, memorizing them, as if this was the last time they would see each other.   
Once Rhett's shirt had come off, it fell to the floor, not missed by any of the two men. Rhett could feel fingers running over his chest and down his back and it was glorious. Link was glorious and so Rhett kissed him a little harder, pressing him against the kitchen counter.

While Rhett had no problem with being shirtless, he decided that it would only be fair if the smaller man would join him and so he started tugging at the hem of Link's T-shirt. The fabric joined the already discarded shirt on the floor. Rhett enjoyed the feeling of being this close to someone after so long, physically and mentally. He sighed quietly, melting even more into the kiss. Even though he enjoyed Link's touch, he was still kind of shy about returning the favor. Sure, Link was gorgeous, but there was also the persistent feeling of everything being new and he felt unusually timid. The other man had just way more experience and expertise in this field and it showed.

His thoughts ended abruptly as Link pushed him forward until he felt the edge of the table digging into his lower back. Link pressed even further and Rhett found that the only way out for him was to actually sit down on the table. It seemed as if that had been the plan. Link nestled in between Rhett's legs as soon as he had sat down and started kissing his neck and shoulders. Rhett let his head fall back, simply enjoying the sensation until Link whispered in his ear.

“Your jeans are pretty annoying.”

Taking off you jeans while sitting and slightly tipsy was a lot more difficult than anticipated. Link simply tried to pull down while Rhett fought with the button and the zipper. They started laughing, Link leaning on the other man for balance.

Rhett got of the table, stepped out of his jeans comfortably and they resumed position afterwards without losing any of their previous energy. They went back to simply making out, Rhett had gained enough confidence to ran his hands over Link's chest, feeling the body hair and the muscles underneath a lot more appealing than he had ever imagined. Link's hands were on his thighs now, caressing carefully, not rushing but slowly moving closer and closer to Rhett's lap.

Link made a sound that sounded like a question and for a few seconds Rhett wasn't sure if he wanted to give an answer. But then, feeling heated skin beneath his fingers, a beautiful man in his arms, he nodded.

They broke the kiss shortly as Link cupped Rhett through his boxer briefs and Rhett moaned quietly against the other men's shoulder blade. He was already painfully hard. Pulling down the underwear took way less effort and Rhett wrapped his arms around Link as he started stroking his erection. He gasped into Link's mouth, overwhelmed by the sudden sensation. Link grinned, continuing the motion while kissing every part of Rhett he could reach. His face, neck, shoulders. Even through his closed eyelids Rhett felt like he could see stars and he knew he wouldn't last long, feeling like all the excitement of the last couple of days would explode within him every second now.

His gasps were reflected by the tiled walls of the kitchen and he didn't have any time to question if the neighbors could hear them, as Link quickened his pace. Rhett's legs started shaking and so he wrapped them around the other man.

“Not gonna be much longer.”

“Don't hold back”, Link smirked and that was it.

Rhett groaned deeply as he came, burying his head between Link's neck and shoulder. They stayed like this for a while, Link stroking him lazily until he let go to wipe his hand on his jeans. They kissed again, despite being both unable to stop smiling. It took Rhett several moments to regain a full level of consciousness, but once he did he pulled away softly, looking at Link.

“That was amazing”, he said, even though he thought it had been much more than that.

“I'm glad to hear that.”

“I wouldn't mind returning the favor, you know.”

Link laughed heartily. “I wouldn't complain, but could we move this to the bedroom? My legs are getting all shaky.”

Rhett happily obliged, slid down the table and took Link's hand to be guided towards the bedroom, not even thinking about picking up his underwear from the floor.

“You know, I've actually got another morning shift tomorrow”, he said, throwing a quick glance to the clock hanging over the kitchen table.

“And?”, Link said, pulling him towards the bedroom door.

“I think I'm gonna call in sick.”

 


End file.
